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Thursday, May 07, 2015

Real target of arson attack on cafe 'may have been cartoon company which has poked fun at Muslims'

Arsonists threw device through letterbox of building in Bath this week

Building houses cartoon agency which has drawn cartoons about Islam

Police have now said they believe a cafe below the firm was the target

No one was hurt in the incident, but the building sustained fire damage

Police have ruled out a Charlie Hebdo-style motive for an arson attack at a building housing a cartoon company who have created pictures poking fun at Muslims.

The company, CartoonStock, are based upstairs at the property in Bath, Somerset and sell satirical and political cartoons to customers all over the world.

Arsonists threw a device through the building's letterbox in the early hours of Tuesday morning causing extensive damage to the ground floor.

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A cartoon firm based above this cafe in Bath was not the target of an arson attack, police have said

The carpets and hallway leading to the downstairs Adventure Cafe were badly damaged but fire doors prevented the blaze from spreading right through the building. No one was inside the building at the time.

It was originally feared the attack might be retaliation for the pictures of Muslims - but police have now said they believe the cafe was the intended target.

A force spokesman said: 'We are concentrating our enquiries on the hypothesis that this was a deliberate attack on the Adventure Cafe.'

CartoonStock's clients include Reader's Digest, Newsweek magazine, The Guardian, The Times and the BBC.

There are no cartoons posted on their website about the Prophet Muhammed, but there are numerous images joking about burqas.

There are also several cartoons, posted earlier this year, referring to the Charlie Hebdo attack and the dangers of being a cartoonist.

Among the cartoons is a one featuring a career councillor telling a cartoonist: 'Do you realise the dangers if terrorists don't like your work'.

Emergency services were called to the cafe after a passer by smelled smoke coming from the building.

The cafe's owner Andy McGonigle said he could not think of any reason why arsonists would want to target his business.

He said: 'We have been here for nearly 16 years, the cafe is really popular and we have fantastic customers and staff.

'It could have been a lot worse and I am just thankful there was nobody in the building at the time.'

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Among the many cartoons on the company's website were sketches that referred to the Charlie Hebdo attack

A spokesman for Avon Fire and Rescue said: 'The fire was on the ground floor and it appears it was deliberate.'

Police and fire investigation officers are continuing to examine forensic evidence from the scene and investigations are ongoing.